Shining Rock adjusting to growing pains
 

Shining Rock adjusting to growing pains

Operating a new charter school can be a learn-as-you-go process, and the Shining Rock Classical Academy board of directors is…
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Town leaders to don historical roles in Green Hill cemetery tour
 

Town leaders to don historical roles in Green Hill cemetery tour

A public walking tour of Green Hill Cemetery in Waynesville with living history talks will be held at 4 p.m.…
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Waynesville seeks recognition for Green Hill Cemetery as a historical gem
 

Waynesville seeks recognition for Green Hill Cemetery as a historical gem

Historians in Waynesville are building a case to get Green Hill Cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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‘In God We Trust’: Local governments asked to display national motto
 

‘In God We Trust’: Local governments asked to display national motto

Members of the U.S. Motto Action Committee have been making their way around the state asking county commissioners and town…
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Jackson water and sewer enterprise looks to encourage economic growth
 

Jackson water and sewer enterprise looks to encourage economic growth

From permit fees to lease agreements to equipment purchases, many costs accompany the launch of a new business. And while…
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Rhonda Cole Schandevel to run for NC House
 

Rhonda Cole Schandevel to run for NC House

Haywood County School Board member Rhonda Cole Schandevel, 51, of Canton announced her 2016 candidacy for the North Carolina House…
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Jackson tourism group tightens up granting requirements
 

Jackson tourism group tightens up granting requirements

When the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority sat down this spring to review applications for its advertising grants, it wound…
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Looking toward the future: Master planning process starts for SCC’s Webster campus
 

Looking toward the future: Master planning process starts for SCC’s Webster campus

Southwestern Community College is in the business of dreaming big as it works through the preliminary stages of a master…
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Wandering as a way of life: Bryson City man takes to the road
 

Wandering as a way of life: Bryson City man takes to the road

Most people have had the inclination at some point in their lives to just pack it up and hit the…
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Haywood commissioners back plan to run sewer lines out N.C. 209
 

Haywood commissioners back plan to run sewer lines out N.C. 209

Haywood County commissioners have endorsed a plan to run sewer lines out N.C. 209 to Interstate 40, pledging $300,000 toward…
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Plan hatched to untangle town street from school parking lot
 

Plan hatched to untangle town street from school parking lot

Officer Dave Clancey has a dicey job, perhaps the most dangerous of any cop in Haywood County. But instead of…
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New casino to expand professional opportunities, financial security for Cherokee
 

New casino to expand professional opportunities, financial security for Cherokee

In the words of Principal Chief Michell Hicks, it’s been “a whirlwind year” for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
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Why Murphy?
 

Why Murphy?

At first blush, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is competing with itself by opening a new casino in Murphy…
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Opening day draws a crowd to new Murphy casino
 

Opening day draws a crowd to new Murphy casino

Mary Anderson didn’t have much time to stop for an interview. It was just after 1 p.m., and the Atlanta…
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Oversized political signs cause a stir in Waynesville
 

Oversized political signs cause a stir in Waynesville

An explosion of campaign signs so large they could pass for miniature billboards cropped up seemingly overnight in Waynesville last…
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Getting ready for game day: Preparations at new casino in full swing as opening day approaches
 

Getting ready for game day: Preparations at new casino in full swing as opening day approaches

Spirits were high last week as Lumpy Lambert made his morning lap around the floor of the new casino. The count…
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Where art meets architecture
 

Where art meets architecture

Sam Olbekson has never met a duality he couldn’t reconcile. As the lead architect for the $110 million Harrah’s Cherokee Valley…
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National Park Service designates SCC for pilot program
 

National Park Service designates SCC for pilot program

When National Park Service officials increased Seasonal Law Enforcement Training from 400 hours to 650, they decided to use Southwestern…
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Security screening on the way at Jackson courthouse
 

Security screening on the way at Jackson courthouse

Starting Sept. 28, employees and visitors to the Jackson County Justice and Administration Building will no longer have their choice…
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Visitor centers may be fading, but not into oblivion
 

Visitor centers may be fading, but not into oblivion

Do visitor centers still have a role in the new world of travel intel? That’s the question Haywood County tourism leaders…
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Nonprofits line up for Franklin funding
 

Nonprofits line up for Franklin funding

Each year, Macon County organizations stand before the Franklin Board of Aldermen to ask for a piece of the nonprofit…
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Norovirus outbreak at North Canton Elementary winding down
 

Norovirus outbreak at North Canton Elementary winding down

An outbreak of the highly contagious intestinal bug known as norovirus has been raging through North Canton Elementary School over…
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Hillbilly festival accused of trademark infringement
 

Hillbilly festival accused of trademark infringement

Six years ago, Becky Ramey and Terry Frady started a little festival in the parking lot of their Maggie Valley…
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SCC gets input on future of Swain campus
 

SCC gets input on future of Swain campus

What should the future of Southwestern Community College look like in Swain County five to 10 years from now?
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Jackson businessman floats alternative fate for vacant Whittier factory
 

Jackson businessman floats alternative fate for vacant Whittier factory

Its future has been envisioned as an agricultural center, a recreation facility, a Cherokee cultural site, a farming co-op and…
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Steep slope hearing postponed: Commissioners kick back date to comply with public notice laws
 

Steep slope hearing postponed: Commissioners kick back date to comply with public notice laws

The final public hearing in the two-year-old saga of revisions to Jackson County’s steep slope ordinance was all set to…
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Savannah community could get its first park
 

Savannah community could get its first park

If the details work out, Jackson County’s Savannah community could soon have a park to call its own. 
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Waynesville grants Giles’ Chemical zoning flexibility in the name of economic expansion
 

Waynesville grants Giles’ Chemical zoning flexibility in the name of economic expansion

Waynesville leaders have granted a free pass on many of its aesthetic development standards to pave the way for a…
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HCC students collaborate to commemorate 50 years
 

HCC students collaborate to commemorate 50 years

It isn’t often students in the creative arts program and the high-tech machinery program get to collaborate on a project,…
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Search continues for missing hiker
 

Search continues for missing hiker

The search for an overdue Tennessee hiker in the Shining Rock wilderness area continues for a second day after Sunday’s…
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WCU celebrates retention milestone, looks toward future enrollment challenges
 

WCU celebrates retention milestone, looks toward future enrollment challenges

Meeting a deadline five minutes ahead of time can be challenging, so after meeting an important enrollment goal five years…
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Hicks to take Gaming Commission top job when political term ends
 

Hicks to take Gaming Commission top job when political term ends

The day after Chief-Elect Patrick Lambert takes his oath of office, Principal Chief Michell Hicks will take over Lambert’s old…
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Macon educators rally for more state funding
 

Macon educators rally for more state funding

The state budget was 78 days overdue last Tuesday night when a group of more than 20 public education supporters…
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Swain elections board hires lawyer for county dispute
 

Swain elections board hires lawyer for county dispute

Swain County Board of Elections has retained an attorney to provide guidance on an ongoing dispute between the board and…
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Schools end traditional knighting of valedictorian
 

Schools end traditional knighting of valedictorian

The senior with the highest grade point average will no longer be crowned valedictorian at high school graduation in Haywood…
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Residents say no to two-way Main Street, advocate for more parking in Sylva
 

Residents say no to two-way Main Street, advocate for more parking in Sylva

Sylva is likely nearing the end of a months-long debate over a recurring question: is there a better way to…
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Waynesville sidesteps fallout from severing its wholesale power buys from Duke
 

Waynesville sidesteps fallout from severing its wholesale power buys from Duke

Duke Energy has roped Waynesville in for another year even though the town hoped to quit buying its wholesale power…
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Waynesville now owns park, can forcefully remove partiers
 

Waynesville now owns park, can forcefully remove partiers

Hazy ownership of a de facto three-acre park in Waynesville has been resolved, allowing the town to remove a group…
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Yellow Mountain residents complain of shooting range
 

Yellow Mountain residents complain of shooting range

Some residents of the Yellow Mountain area near Lake Glenville are hoping Jackson County commissioners will step in to address…
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Swain to dissolve outdated ordinances
 

Swain to dissolve outdated ordinances

Swain County commissioners will hold two public hearings at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, before deciding whether to dissolve ordinances…
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50 years forward: HCC invites community to ‘Big Day’ of celebration
 

50 years forward: HCC invites community to ‘Big Day’ of celebration

What better way to celebrate 50 years of education at Haywood Community College than to invite the community for a…
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HCC graduates find success
 

HCC graduates find success

Not every success story starts with a four-year degree from an elite university, and there are many Haywood Community College…
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History in the making: HCC grows to meet community needs
 

History in the making: HCC grows to meet community needs

As Haywood Community College leaders look to the future, it’s import to reflect on how far the institution has come…
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HCC President Parker looks forward 50 years
 

HCC President Parker looks forward 50 years

What is the significance of HCC’s 50th anniversary? The 50th anniversary celebration gives us an opportunity to reflect upon those…
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McMahan convicted in vehicle death
 

McMahan convicted in vehicle death

Christopher Harold McMahan was recently convicted of felony death by vehicle and felony serious injury by vehicle in Macon County…
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Stecoah man found guilty of sexual offense
 

Stecoah man found guilty of sexual offense

Michael Lee White, 38, of the Stecoah community, was recently found guilty by a jury in Robbinsville of sexual offense…
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Unstable rock causes I-40 closure
 

Unstable rock causes I-40 closure

Instability in the rocky roadside caused by blasting along Interstate 40 in Haywood County has caused the second road closure…
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YO offers support to LGBTQ youth in Franklin
 

YO offers support to LGBTQ youth in Franklin

The world can be a confusing and lonely place when you don’t know where you fit in to it and…
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WCU moving up on the dial: Winners and losers in the shifting world of radio frequencies
 

WCU moving up on the dial: Winners and losers in the shifting world of radio frequencies

A protracted tug-of-war over the 95.3 FM radio frequency is finally over, setting the stage for Western Carolina University’s campus-run…
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Jackson signs jail health contract
 

Jackson signs jail health contract

When John Buchanan first took the jail captain job at the Jackson County Detention Center, one assignment quickly rose to…
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